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Lili had been on edge all day at work. She’d thought that her work routine would have calmed her down, but it hadn’t. If the people after Martha are professional soldiers, and are willing to die in their pursuit, how safe is Lili? They know where she lives, where she works, and what kind of car she drives. She went in to talk to her boss, Cherise Holmes. “I think I need to take some time off and disappear for a while. I’m really worried that these guys looking for Martha could come after me for information. They’re hard-core soldier types, willing to die to get to her.”
“Do you want to go into government protection?”
“Whoever is behind this has already compromised that system. They shot a US Marshal who was guarding Martha while she was in WITSEC. Martha’s gone into hiding on her own. I think I need to disappear on my own for a while. If I’m not around, I’m hoping they’ll forget about me.”
“Okay, but if you need anything at all, call me. How about if we set up a process for you to let me know you’re okay once a day. If you miss a day, I’ll send the cavalry, if I know where to send them.”
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LILI PACKED HER SUITCASE and backpack. She then took a taxi to the Peter Pan bus terminal. She entered the terminal, went out the side door and found an ATM, where she withdrew a good amount of cash. She then walked over to the Academy of Music and boarded a regional bus to Springfield. After two bus changes and a few hours of travel, she arrived in Saratoga Springs. Gil picked her up in front of The Parting Glass Tavern.
Gil was worried about Lili’s state of mind, as much as the risk of an attack. “I’m not sure how I can get you to relax.”
“Feed me.”
Gil smiled. “Well, I can certainly feed you.” They went for dinner at the nearby Mouzon House restaurant. The server introduced himself as James and asked for their drink orders. Lili ordered a pinot grigio and Gil ordered cranberry juice with seltzer.
“I think I feel much better just leaving Northampton and coming here,” said Lili. “Maybe I’m safer here. These people didn’t bug your house or car. They haven’t taken an interest in you so far, but they could. Gil, do you know how to use a gun?”
“I learned to use a twenty-two caliber rifle at Camp Apex when I was a kid,” said Gil. “We shot at little paper targets, and I was a pretty good shot. I guess I’ve always relied on law-enforcement people to protect me and my family. I think there are too many guns around these days, especially with all of the nut-jobs that shouldn’t have them. On the other hand, I think that a person who has a specific need to protect themselves should be allowed to do that. I don’t like the idea, but I suppose that, right now, we’re in one of those situations.”
James brought their drinks and took their dinner orders. Lili ordered the étouffée, and Gil ordered the gumbo. “Camp Apex?” asked Lili.
“It was a little day camp run by the YMCA near Greenfield. We swam, did arts and crafts, archery, stuff like that. I only went one summer. I think it’s still there.”
“It sounds idyllic. I never went to a camp. I remember going to summer playgrounds where we did arts and crafts, used the swings and seesaws, and played dodge ball. I’m feeling better just talking to you. And drinking wine.”
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THE NEXT DAY, LILI brought Gil to Philbin’s Gun Shop to buy a shotgun. The store was in a small prefab building in a gravel lot, with faux log-cabin siding. Gil was a little nervous as they walked in, but Lili was unfazed. She walked up to the counter and said “Hi. This guy would like to buy a shotgun for home protection.”
The counter was staffed by a young woman who looked like a soccer mom. “Hi, I’m Rosie Philbin, and this is my shop. I see you’re carrying a pistol, ma’am. Do you have a permit for that?”
“I’m an agent with the Massachusetts State Police.”
Rosie smiled and asked, “Do you live in New York State, sir?”
“Yes, I live in Saratoga.”
“Wonderful. Have you used a shotgun before?”
“No, only a twenty-two rifle, as a kid.”
“Okay, no problem. You’ll want a twelve-gauge for home protection. I have three good ones for you to choose from.” She placed three, very similar-looking guns on the counter. “This is a Remington 870, our most popular model. This one’s a Mossberg 500, and this one’s a Winchester SXP. The Remington and the Mossberg are very similar, but the Mossberg holds six shells and the Remington holds five. The Winchester is a little lighter and less expensive. It also holds five shells.”
Gil looked at Lili, confused. She said, “He’ll take the Winchester, and two boxes of buckshot shells.”
“Okay. It usually takes a few days to get cleared once you buy the gun, assuming you don’t have a criminal record and the government’s NICS system doesn’t glitch out.”
“No problem, right Gil?”
“Yep, no problem.”
Rosie rang up the sale and said, “I’ll call you when you can pick up the gun. If you don’t hear from me in a week, please give me a call.” She hesitated and then said, “I don’t usually like to be nosy, but, well, that’s not really true at all. I’m nosy as hell! So what’s going on with you two, an armed agent from Massachusetts and a clean-cut guy from Saratoga buying a gun for protection?”
“Someone tried to kill a friend of mine in Florida, so I shot and killed him,” said Lili. “My friend’s gone into hiding. The bad guys think I know where she is, so they tried to kidnap me the other day. The FBI is working on it. I’ve decided to come hang out with my boyfriend for a while.”
“Holy shit!” Rosie was stunned for a moment, then snapped out of it. “I’ll get this background check started right away. Please let me know if you need anything else.” As Lili and Gil turned to leave, Rosie said, “Wait a minute. It seems like Gil might need some training.” Rosie handed Gil a card. “This guy teaches private courses for whatever you need. I’m sure he could combine a basic shotgun course with a defensive weapons course. He’s a retired weapons instructor from the Marines.”
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“ROCK-STEP, SIDE-CLOSE-side, side-close-side,” repeated Lawrence, the dance instructor. “That’s it, rock-step, side-close-side, side-close-side. You’re doing great.” Both Gil and Lili were laughing as they struggled with the unnatural movements, but they were keeping up. They held the rhythm as they continued awkwardly moving around in a slow circle. “That’s it, keep it going everybody. Rock-step, side-close-side, side-close-side. “
Suddenly there was a loud “whoop” and a thump as a guy landed squarely on his posterior. “Everybody hold up. Hold up,” said Lawrence as he stopped the music. He went over to the downed dancer and assessed his well being. After a minute, Lawrence helped the guy up and everybody clapped. “Okay, lets take five and have some water. We have to keep hydrated, people.”
After practicing the basic swing-dancing steps some more, Lawrence demonstrated a faster variation of the same step called the jive. The couples practiced their steps a few times, then Lawrence put on the music. Gil and Lili were doing okay for a couple of minutes, but then they lost their rhythm and had to start over. Again, a few minutes later, they lost their rhythm. Just as they got back into it again, the music ended. “Okay let’s take five, everybody.” He walked over to Gil and Lily and said, “I was watching you when you lost it the last time. I think your problem is that you’re both trying to lead. Lili, you have to let the man lead.”
“Well I think that’s generally what’s wrong with this world!” She stormed off to get some water. Gil didn’t know whether to laugh or be embarrassed.